History

LOGAN, Utah -
Former Utah State standout Phil Olsen is on the ballot for induction into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame. The class of 2006 will include at least three members and will be announced on May 16.

Olsen was a consensus All-America selection for the Aggies in 1969 while playing as a defensive lineman. He also earned honorable mention All-America honors as a junior in 1968.

Olsen, a Logan, Utah native, was a first-round draft pick, the fourth overall in the draft, by the Boston Patriots in 1970. He went on to play seven seasons in the NFL, including one year with the Patriots, four with the Los Angeles Rams and two with the Denver Broncos.

After his senior year at Utah State he played in the Professional All-Star game, the East-West Shrine game and the Hula Bowl. In 1993 he was voted onto the Utah State all-Century Team

Former Aggies in the Hall of Fame include Olsen's brother Merlin Olsen, E.L. "Dick" Romney and John Ralston. Here is a look at their bios from the Hall of Fame.

Ernest Lowell "Dick" Romney coached Utah State football in 1919-1942 and again in 1944-48, rolling up a record of 128- 91-16. His teams won conference titles in 1921 and 1936, and shared the league championships in 1935 and 1946. Romney was a four-sport star at Utah, a member of the Redskins' 1916 National Amateur Athletic Union basketball champions and an all-conference selection in football. He began his coaching career at Utah State in 1919, heading the football, basketball, track and baseball programs. His basketball teams won conference crowns in four seasons and played in the elimination rounds at San Francisco's World's Fair. Romney was equally as successful as a track coach, winning league titles four times. Romney served as commissioner of the Mountain States Conference 1949-59. He was born February 12, 1895, in Salt Lake City and died February 5, 1969, in Salt Lake City. Romney Stadium, where Utah State plays its home games, is named for him.

Merlin Olsen was first honored by the National Football Foundation in 1961, when he was chosen as one of the top scholar-athletes. He was an All-America tackle at Utah State and winner of the Outland Award as the nation's best interior lineman. In 1980 the Foundation honored Olsen a second time, as he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the first man to be first a scholar-athlete winner and later a Hall of Famer. Following his college days, Olsen played with the Los Angeles Rams. In both collegiate and pro play, he was known as a bruising, hard-hitting defensive lineman. But off the field Olsen was an intelligent and compassionate scholar, respected and admired by his peers. Following his pro football days, Olsen went into television, starring in such vehicles as "The Little House on the Prairie", and then into sports broadcasting as a stellar member of the NBC staff. He was a tough guy on the field, Mr. Nice Guy off the field.

John Ralston was head coach at the college level 1959-71 and coached in the pros until 1984. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1993, at age 66, he came out of retirement to become coach at San Jose State. He had a 31-11-1 record at Utah State 1959-62; his teams were in the Oil Bowl and Gotham Bowl. His record at Stanford 1963-71 was 55-36-3; his last two Stanford teams won in the Rose Bowl. Ralston coached the Denver Broncos of the National Football League 1972-76 and the Oakland Invaders of the U.S. Football League 1981-84. Ralston grew up in Norway, Michigan. At age 17 he joined the Marines, and he served three years. At age 20 he enrolled in the University of California. He was linebacker on the football team 1948-50. He coached in high school and as an assistant at California before becoming a head coach at Utah State in 1959. Ralston served in many sports: in 1986, general manager of the San Jose Golddiggers, a women's professional volleyball team; 1987, general manager of the Sacramento Capitols in the Team Tennis League; in 1988-90, scout for the Seattle Seahawks football team. Also in 1990 he went to Russia and coached the Moscow Bears, a native team which played U.S. teams. Ralston coached four years at San Jose State, 1993-96. He then took a job as special assistant to the director of athletics at the same school.